


Tavros and Tinkerbull

by Thaiser



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Humanstuck, M/M, rockstuck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-22
Updated: 2013-03-04
Packaged: 2017-11-26 11:52:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 14,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/650244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thaiser/pseuds/Thaiser
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tavros Nitram; bass player and lead vocalist for a small metal band discovers the hardships of a working tour band. however one day their agent has good news.<br/>they've been asked to open for a world renowned band for a few shows, Tavros doesn't believe they're ready for the big time but Gamzee Makara, drummer for the famous band, convinces him otherwise over coffee (andsex)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. pilot

**Author's Note:**

> this is a PBJ prompt fill for prompt 37 at gamtavficprompts at tumblr

the manager called him yesterday, he had managed to procure a few extra gigs so the tour would go on for a while longer than expected. to any other aspiring group of musicians this would´ve surely been overwhelmingly good news.

but Tavros and his little ragtag group of friends had only months ago been playing for just one simple reason, for fun, they were just messing around in their spare time, writing songs, playing them only for their friends, god knows not a single one of them could afford actual professional entertainment at their parties, so they invited Tinkerbull, a small group of guys just out of their teenage years, playing for a laugh, for the simple joy of good company and a shared hobby, to come over and play a few of their songs.

they always got a few cheers and whistles, but Tavros, never the confident type, had always assumed that they were either the product of sarcasm or copious alcohol consumption. but after a while, his group, his band, had apparently gained a following, one that was evidently a whole lot more extensive than he had imagined. unlike most hopeful young men who form bands as teenagers, Tavros had never led himself to believe that this would ever be more than an innocent pastime.

the name had been a joke, they had all thought it quite humourous to name a, if he had to say so himself, rather hardcore metal band something so sweet and innocent sounding as Tinkerbull.

Tinkerbull wasn´t a tough name, it wasn´t even mediocre, it was a weak name, the kind that the older, taller, stronger boys would yell at his small figure while he scurried hurriedly through the unforgiving halls of highschool, with his back hunched in dejected shame and his eyes staring at the floor, trying desperately not to let them see him cry. 

but those days were behind him, he wasn´t a social outcast anymore, he had friends, he had a group, a clique of his own now. they could no longer hurt him, he was a man now, a grown man 21 years of age. 

he could do this, it would be just like any other show they had done, they would go in, play their songs and walk on out of there as the pretend rockstars of the night. it was so simple, yet so terrifying a prospect, now people no longer came to drink and they were just there as background noise, now they would be what people came for, what people came to experience.

Not a drunken stupor but a band, a band that he would have to be at the front of, right by the edge of the stage, in that blindingly bright spotlight, everyone would be able to see him, everyone would be looking, staring even, at him of all people, innocent little Tavros, who was never quite as strong as the other boys, never quite as proud and confident in himself as they were, the one who was always at the back, always in someone elses shadow, would now have to stand upfront like they had, and show the others what he could do, what he could accomplish.

he could not think of anything more horrifying. What if he messed up? sang the wrong lyrics, or at the wrong time, played the wrong chords and messed up the entire rythm, ruined it not only for himself but for the others as well. how would he ever look at himself in a mirror again.

no this was a bad idea, they weren´t ready, they weren´t good enough. he wasn´t good enough. not by a long shot, of this Tavros was absolutely certain. but still the future marched on with or without him. he had to do this, there was no choice, if he quit now he would ruin this opportunity not only for himself but for everyone else as well.

so he had begrudgingly agreed when their newfound manager had suggested getting a few gigs and touring for a month or two, he owed it to the others, those who had brought him out of his past and his shell, and told him he could help them, that he could be useful.   
************************************************************************  
it wasn´t quite what any of them had expected, then again who expects to have to live in a ratty old van the drummer, Sollux, and his girlfriend the guitarist Aradia, had found at a discount used car dealership, but it was all they could afford, so it would just have to do.

the first few days were particularly rough, none of them were used to living out of such a tiny enclosed space.


	2. beginnings

when Tavros woke the morning after setting out from his hometown it was with a crick in his neck and a throbbing ache in every joint, derelict old vans were clearly not made for long term human occupation.

his joints weren´t the only things protesting, the feelings of dread and anxiousness from last night had not yet disappeared, quite the opposite in fact, they were now worse than ever. he just felt so sick to his poor stomach, no appetite, barely any sleep, constantly dwelling on the many ways in which he was convinced he would inevetably fail his dear friends. 

his friends who were both such talented musicians, it wasn´t fair that they should were forced to drag him around because they were too nice, way too nice, to tell him that they didn´t need him, that they could do better without him.

no no no, they always say not to think like that. bad Tavros, depressing yourself. no, you can do this, you can! you just have to believe in it. yeah! like dad always said, if you believe in something, and you are willing to work hard enough, you will most certainly achieve it someday.

it will be fine. everything will be alright, they´ll back you up, they promised.

all these things Tavros furiously repeated to himself like a mantra. it only partially worked, he still had that terrible unnerved feeling in his gut. but it was atleast manageable now.

at some point his mantra must have come to a whispering crescendo, after all what else could have inspired a groggy Aradia to wander over to his stained and aging mattress in the corner and ask "whats the matter Tavros? are you okay?"

Tavros immediately shot up, embarassed to have been caught mumbling to himself like some raving lunatic he frantically attempted to explain.

"yes! i´m... i´m fine! just umm... dandy! dandy is what i am, yep... dandy" he followed this statement up with a bout of near aggressive nodding. Aradia gave him a doubtful look and a skeptically raised eyebrow "you don´t look fine, and since when do you use the word "dandy" to describe yourself?"

this naturally had poor flustered Tavros struggling to find words "i.. ahh. umm... sorry, that wasn´t what i meant to say, i´m fine really. so don´t worry okay?"

she gave him a quick look up and down, from his disheveled almost sadly drooping mohawk, down the age old wreck of a stained and holey band t-shirt that he had slept in to the duvet still covering him from the hips down. "alright" she smiled "if you say so then i believe you, now come on, Sollux is making breakfast outside, he said to come get you" she then turned around and opened the vans sliding side door.

"oh! okay, i´ll... i´ll be right there!" he yelled after her as she jumped out to join her lover in his gastronomic quest.

Tavros quickly got up from his seat on the bed, or rather mattress haphazardly shoved against the inside wall of their van between instruments and other equipment, and quickly pulled a set of clothes out from the dufflebag at his feet, a pair of worn jeans and a slightly over sized shirt would have to suffice, after all he had to save his nice clothes for the performance they would have tomorrow. 

tomorrow. his belly did a few agitated backflips at the thought, tomorrow they would be on a real stage. not just a few tables pushed up against each other at the last moment, but an actual bonafide professionally set up stage. a small chill ran down his spine, probably best not to dwell on it, he thought to himself, afterall, there was no need to make himself more nervous than was strictly necessary. 

no, breakfast now, thinking later. with this in mind and a well loved pair of shoes on his feet, he too hopped out and walked over to where Sollux was grumbling under his breath, murmuring curses at the cheap little portable stove he had bought before hand, angrily attempting to persuade it to boil the damn water so he could have his even cheaper ramen.

"morning" he yawned. "good morning Tavros, it will just be a minute, and then there will be hot noodles all around" Aradia cheerfully responded from a blanket thrown down on the grass of the camping site they had stopped at for the night. he sat down next to her and they proceeded to patiently watch as the now positively enraged drummer fiddled with the burner with a near furious persistency.  
*  
when the stubborn little stove finally gave in and surrendered its culinary abilities to aid in boiling the water and their meal was finally ready, Sollux visibly sighed in relief and sat down with the others to eat.

by the time tomorrow rolled around Tavros was starting to freak out, he still could not wrap his head around the fact that their first real show was in just a few hours.

by the time evening came his hands were clenching rythmically, his mind racing, desperately trying to come up with plausible excuses for why he could not do this, he paced nervously back and forth in front of the large curtain, the curtain that obscured him from the crowd on the other side, their instruments had already been set up, his trusted bass guitar was waiting for him out there, resting on a speaker beside the microphone, his microphone. he bit down on his knuckle.

a hand came down on his shoulder not a second later and he immediately jumped and spun in place to face his attacker, it was Aradia. "ready to go get them Nitram?" she asked with a kind almost motherly look in her eyes.

Tavros breathed deeply "yeah... yeah i´m ready" he nodded and did his best to look determined, confident. "great!" she exclaimed "then let´s go" with that said she jerked her head in the direction of the dreaded curtains that he had come to loathe.

with his best "man" face, the one his father had taught him to put on if anyone ever heckled him, he walked out onto the stage, and was immediately blinded by the obnoxiously bright lights, and in the next moment deafened by the cheering that resonated from the darkness in front of him. he froze in his tracks and just stood there staring like a young doe caught in the headlights of an oncoming truck, his man face shattered on the floor, in its place an expression of pure unadultered shock.

yet again a hand landed on his shoulder and he heard a voice he vaguely recognised as belonging to Sollux whisper "give em hell Tav" the hand then gave him a light push and he automatically walked up to the microphone and picked up his bass, he stood there for a moment and breathed deeply, he could hear the others starting to play behind him.

so he sang, he sang like his heart was breaking, like it was all there was in the world. and for the first time since this entire endeavour was launched, he felt like he really could do this.

this would definitely not be easy, they all knew that much, but besides that none of them had known what to expect. they still didn´t quite know, but they had figured that they would take each day as it came, solving each problem as it appeared.

but such a relaxed philosophy is not easy to maintain when they suddenly get word that one of the events that they would be playing at, a music festival for rock music specifically, will also be attended by The Seagoat, one of the most infamous and acclaimed bands in the world of all things metal.


	3. what the?

it had been exactly four shows since that first nervewrecking experience, and the three of them had been settling rather nicely in to their collective new lifestyle.

shows were going well and tended to feature endings wrought with much praise and adulation, which of course always had poor Tavros, who had never dared to expect such a thing, blushing like mad at the end.

most were relatively small local concerts or events, these first few shows were clearly intended to be a kind off warm up for them. to allow them time to adjust, and to give them a few chances in case they were still nervous.

they would be able to mess up without being harassed and booed of the stage immediately, the size of the stage and audience seemed curiously linked to the expectations of crowds and critics alike.

and as they continued trekking on through with their little quest, the ease and comfort of a well established routine slowly but surely came upon them.

the stomach clenching nervousness that would usually settle itself in well before they were even going on stage, was slowly being replaced by an increasing feeling of excited elation that had them grinning goofily at each other like teenagers about to go on the biggest, scariest rollercoaster in the entire park and Tavros biting at his lower lip before they went on.

as the days passed, life in the van became increasingly comfortable, they each found a little spot, often a corner or even the passenger seat in the front, that they liked to relax or practice in, Tavros himself was growing particularly fond of the awkward and slightly rickety little foldout bench on the left side of the vans inner compartment, right above where he would sleep each night.

after each show came a succeeding one, most oftenly bigger and slightly more grandiose than its predeccessor, and he found himself having to gradually walk farther and farther to reach his beloved instrument.

this subtle rythm continued for several weeks before they were finally on the really big stages, and Tavros suddenly had to walk what certainly felt like half a marathon just to reach the damned thing.

in fact he had begun giving awkward little smiles and waves to the crowd while he walked, just to make sure they didn’t think he was some strange weirdo just wandering around on a random platform he had stumbled upon by chance.

he was still nervous that much was certain, but he was steadily growing assured of his own competence, this assurance slowly easing his worries.

at this point the only show he was really REALLY anxious about was the final concert they would be giving at a big festival for rock music exclusively.

this was partially because of the sheer size of the event and the prominence and obvious skill of the other attending musicians, he was starting to wonder if he could really compare to them, keep up with them.

the one that unsurprisingly worried him the most was the absurdly well known headliner of the festival, The Seagoat, those guys were more than huge, they were a rock solid corner stone of metal everywhere, and they would not only be playing at the same event as them, but on the same day as well, just an hour after Tinkerbull went on, they would be performing.

there was not a sliver of doubt in Tavros’ heart that Tinkerbull would inevitably be outdone by several miles, and he felt more than intimidated by this fact.

they could not possibly compare to such an iconic band, it simply did not seem possible. Sollux and Aradia were not nearly as apprehensive as him, rather they seemed to be mostly excited to have been granted this opportunity to play on par with such appraised talent.

the day they arrived at the festival was a momentous occasion for all of them, they all felt that their journey building up to this big moment, this big chance.

they had made sure to arrive in the morning so they would have plenty of time to rehearse and prepare themselves for what was to come, they had decided to take a well deserved break at approximately an hour past noon, and were now sat on Tavros’ favourite old bench in their van.

they sat there for a while with the van’s sliding side door open beside them letting the breeze in and a soft drink for each of them, occasionally chatting about things that didn’t matter, all of them trying their best to remain as calm and relaxed as possible during their break, they had all spent the majority of the day stressing over their preparations, now was not the time for conversational subjects that contained any kind of substance.

“hey fellas, what’chu guys doing?” a voice not unlike that of a jaded chain smoker and long time radio host grumbled amicably from the open door interrupting their short moment of relative peace.

they all turned around in surprise to see a man with dark unkempt hair and monochromed clown makeup poking his head in the door with his hands on the frame, Tavros immediately thought back to a news story he had read on juggalos as a teenager, wasn’t security supposed to keep fans out of the areas designated performers only? evidently Tavros wasn´t the only one who thought of this.

“how the hell did you make it past the guards?” Sollux stood and walked around to lean slightly against the right side of the door opening making the man back up slightly to give him room, effectively shielding his friends from view with his body.

“aw that was a piece of cake man, those motherfuckers let me right past” with this he jumped into the van and stood beside Sollux extending his right hand towards him, “my names Gamzee motherfucker, what’s yours?” Gamzee smiled broadly as he awaited Sollux’s reply.

“Sollux” he grumbled and shook hands with Gamzee only briefly, “that’s cool man” Gamzee responded utterly unfazed by Sollux’s less than friendly expression, “and how about you fuckers?” Gamzee casually walked right past the quite obviously annoyed Sollux.

“well i’m Aradia and this here is our friend Tavros” Aradia gave Tavros a pat on the shoulder upon uttering this.

“bitchtits wicked yo” the peculiar entruder calmly replied, “hey, mind if i chill out with you guys for awhile” then, without even giving them the shadow of a chance to respond he pulled a rather colorful bottle of soda out from an inner pocket of the purple hoodie he wore, and plopped down right next to Tavros.

Sollux sighed deeply and sat down next to Aradia on the other side of the bench in defeat, how were they ever going to get rid him now?

after taking a long drink of his bottle, his head laid back and everything, Gamzee finally turned to poor confused Tavros and asked “so how are you brother?”

“well i’m uhh… fine?” Tavros was unsure how to proceed with this man, he didn’t seem to adhere to normal social rules and it had poor Tavros struggling to articulate properly.

“cool” the stranger said, still looking only at Tavros, “oh hey!” a thought seemed to strike him “your name is Tavros right?” he asked pointing a single finger at the young man, “yeah?” Tavros attempted to subtly scoot closer towards his friends without seeming rude.

“Tavros” the man mumbled “Tavro, Tavbro” his face lit up in excitement at his sudden epiphany “i could call you Tavbro! it’s perfect” he said looking Tavros right in the eyes as he smiled wider than ever before.

only one question found it’s way into Tavros’ stunned mind, who was this guy and where on earth was he going with all this nonsense?


	4. oh good god

Tavros was starting to enjoy having Gamzee hanging around, he was easy to be around, he never blamed or accused anyone of anything, and he didn’t even seem to require an intelligent response to his many wonderings and completely out of context statements, he just kept on talking.

he talked to them about his bestfriend, who didn’t seem to be nearly as patient or kind as Gamzee was being, then he slowly digressed into other subjects, everything from the peeling paint of their van, to what he had had for breakfast “faygo and cocoa puffs motherfucker”.

Tavros could not help but wonder what sane human being would think any of the things he apparently ate to be nutritous in any way, shape or form, Gamzee didn’t care, then again Gamzee didn’t seem to care about a lot of things.

Gamzee didn’t care that he was literally sitting so close to his “tavbro” that their hips were touching, or that when he spoke to Tavros he could clearly tell from the smell of his breath that Gamzee had decidedly not been exaggerating when he had discussed his dietary habits

when he had gotten particularly excited, Tavros had made the dubious decision of asking him what he had meant when he said the peeling layers of paint on their van was a miracle, he even went as far as to blatantly hold hands with Tavros, swinging and waving their clutched hands about in his excitement as he recited about a half a million explanations for what did and what did not constitute a miracle.

he was easy to be around and even if he did not quite understand the otherwise so broadly comprehended concept of personal space, Tavros found his company to be very relaxing, he gave a lot while asking for very little, it was in a word comforting.

well it was, until they heard the voice of another young man yelling in the distance.

”WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU YOU REPULSIVE FAILURE OF HUMANITY?! I SWEAR WHEN I FIND YOU, AND I WILL, YOU’RE GOING TO WISH YOU HAD NEVER LEFT THE SHITTY LOUNGE I TOLD YOU TO STAY PUT IN, I’M GOING TO SKIN YOU ALIVE AND MAKE MYSELF A FANCY NEW LEATHER COUCH YOU DISGUSTING SACK OF BONES AND FILTH!”

“well brothers and sister, it was damn chill chatting whitcha but a motherfuckers gotta all up and get his leave on now, Bestfriend don’t seem to mirthful right now” Gamzee slowly stood and stretched, bonking his head against the ceiling in the process, he didn’t care.

“wait, you call that guy your friend?” Sollux asked incredulously and unbelieving, “well yeah, he don’t sound it but he’s a pretty chill brother” Gamzee smiled calmly at the mention of his friend, “I’m inclined to agree with Sollux, Gamzee. he doesn’t sound very chill, in fact he sounds very irate right now, i think” Tavros timidly piped in.

“aww don’t you be getting ya worries on brothers, Karkat would never hurt a soul, he’d just yell at it a little” with this Gamzee gracefully ambled out of the van “well see ya later” Gamzee waved a gleeful goodbye to his newfound friends.

they watched him go with trepidation “is he really going to be alright?” Tavros asked, “he’ll be fine Tavros, don’t worry about it, Gamzee is a grown man, he can take care of himself just fine” Aradia answered his worried inquiry, though she did not quite believe it herself.

“come on, we gotta go to practice, we’re already behind schedule” Sollux said picking up his worn drumsticks after handing Aradia her guitar.

*****

Tavros liked to practice, it always felt like it was just the three of them again, having fun in his fathers basement on the weekends, just goofing around, no schedule, no standards to live up to, no expectations.

but those times had slowly faded away, there were people to live up to now, people to impress.

these were the thoughts racing around in Tavros’ mind like startled fish. they were once again behind that damned curtain, the one that concealed a stage that was now bigger than ever before, there were even chairs and couches back here, and a buffet, if it hadn’t been for the crowd on the other side of the damned thing screaming, “Tin-ker-bull Tin-ker-bull!” they shouted rythmically yet somehow completely out of tune, it might even had been a nice place to be.

they had to go on, Tavros knew this, but that didn’t make the fluttering in his belly go away, or make his hands stop their frantic shaking. the way his friends smiled at him reassuringly however did make him feel a little better, at least he wasn’t alone, if they failed, at least they would have failed together.

the light that shone directly into his eyes when he finally walked out from behind the humongous curtain was almost brighter than he could stand, and even with his ears plugged he could clearly hear the elated scream the crowd collectively let out when they realized the show was starting, it threatened to give him permanent tinnitus.

but he steeled himself none the less, and walked with practiced steps toward the edge of the stage where he could faintly spot his instrument, he picked it up and slung the strap over his shoulder, tenderly adjusting it to his liking, he then leaned away from the microphone slightly to clear his throat a few times, couldn’t have his voice breaking on the first verse, and looked behind him to see Sollux at the drumset and Aradia subtly adjusting her own guitar, he took a deep breath all the way down into his stomach, and relaxed into his role.

*****

“hey brother!” an excited voice yelled to him when he retreated behind the curtain again, he looked up to see gamzee lounging in one of the roomy couches backstage calmly chewing on a sandwich, his trusty bottle of faygo at his side on a little table.

“Gamzee!?” Tavros was stunned, how come this man got into every area he was not allowed in, without ever being kicked out? how did he do it?

Gamzee nodded excitedly and patted the seat beside him “how ya been brother, is good to see you”

“well it’s certainly good to see you too, but what are you doing back here?” Tavros sat down next to Gamzee as requested, though not as close as they had been in the van.

he was handed a sandwich by the man in the makeup, shrimp and eggs he vaguely noted, before Gamzee finally drawled out an answer “oh i’m just waiting to go on stage and rock the fuck out man, by the way that was one bitchin show ya put on there Tavbro”

hold on, did he just say “go on stage”!??, Tavros looked around in confusion and spotted one of the many posters from prominent bands that had played here, it was a poster for The Seagoat, with the entire band pictured.

he was the drummer. he was the fucking drummer for the worlds most famous metal band ever. oh dear god.

that was how he got in.


	5. Gamzee=rockstar what?

Tavros could barely believe his own eyes, this guy, this painfully sugar addicted delinguent of a man that was sitting right in front of him calmly smiling, was Gamzee Makara, world famous drummer of The seagoat.

the proof was right in front of him, right there on that great big poster on the wall, that was most definitely Gamzee behind that dark purple drumset, swinging the drumsticks around with his mouth wide open in a silently jovial shout, seated right behind his bandmates.

was it strictly necessary that he be shirtless?

Karkat Vantas in the very front behind the microphone singing his furious little heart out, right behind him a positively gigantic mountain of a man, Equius Zahhak, known just as well for his skill as a guitarist, as for his rather obvious habit of tenaciously bodybuilding, a very stark contrast compared to the already very short stature of their lead vocalist.

he had not needed to sneak in anywhere, he was let in, in fact people probably let him into a lot of areas he didn't belong in solely based on his reputation as a professional musician.

Tavros simply could not believe he hadn't seen it from the start, sure he only somewhat looked the part, and he most certainly didn't act it, but that man was a musical genius, a pioneer of the modern metal genre.

but he not only looked like an obscenely amicable cross between some poor fellow's overly friendly uncle and a very high juggalo, he also acted like one, hugging and waving at anyone who dared be brave enough to come within his indiscriminately affectionate reach.

surely great rockstars were supposed to be reclusive and secretive, only coming out of their million dollar homes and vehicles when they absolutely had to, and even then always wearing huge coats and darkly tinted sunglasses, as if somehow attempting to shield themselves from the marauding peasants eagerly flocking around them, begging for something, anything, an autograph, a picture, a statement, a faint breath of air from their glorious rockstar lungs.

this, this, man, was just, a man. just a man.

not some mysterious musical mastermind, no he was just a guy, just a friendly guy perhaps only a year or three older than Tavros himself.

"ey Tavbro? you okay there motherfucker? you don't look too good" the aforementioned friendly old rockstar uncle had stood from his seat and was now cautiously leaning into Tavros' line of sight almost as if trying not to startle him "you're gonna make a brother all up and get his worry on if you keep staring off into space like that"

"What?" Tavros faintly muttered and continued to stare blankly, though now in the vague direction of Gamzee's face, the images just didn't match up, rockstar simply did not equal this guy.

rockstar=Gamzee nuh-uh no fucking way.

Gamzee leaned in a little closer, as if taking a good long gander at tavros' deep chocolate colored eyeballs would somehow grant him the answers to what was happening to his young friend.

Tavros didn't react until Gamzee's nose was only a hairs width away from his own, his mind suddenly completely clear as his eyes finally focused and unintentionally met Gamzee's own bright amethyst gaze.

he quickly shot back "I, I can explain!" he said quickly, taking a few steps back from the apparently eternally zen drummer

"oh, good" Gamzee replied finally stopping his onslaught of relentless forward leaning "i was kinda hoping you would, that was kinda freaky and i ain't sure if it was good freaky or bad freaky"

"I was just. thinking. about some stuff. I didn't mean to worry you, I'm very sorry, I'll just go now" Tavros' eyes had already glued themselves firmly to the floor in an effort to escape his own gnawing feelings of embarrassment, as he prepared to quickly shuffle his way back to bed so he could lie beneath his ever faithful peter pan printed duvet, and spend the rest of the evening ruthlessly admonishing himself for his clearly over the top and inappropriate reactions.

"no no no bro!" Gamzee quickly caught him by his elbow and leaned down as far as his back would begrudgingly allow him to look Tavros in the eyes again "don't you even wanna see the show man? is gonna be great you got my motherfucking word on it, ain't no need to go running off now when you've got front row seats right the fuck back here man"

Gamzee then let go of tavros' elbow to quickly run back over to the couch, eagerly pushing and shoving it forwards quickly till it was right in front of a a gap in the drapes at the back of the stage.

he then proceeded to harass the buffet in the same manner, pulling the creakily protesting table right up beside the couch, bending down almost immediately after to ceremonially dust of the seat chosen to be offered as best he could, with his hands anyway.

before pulling off his loose hoodie to reveal a pitch black form fitting tanktop underneath, hurriedly jogging back over to the perplexed tavros he started tugging him by his left wrist with one hand, holding his hoodie in the other, over towards the couch before urging him to take a seat as Gamzee bowed at his side.

he did, mind you he was feeling a bit cautious and overwhelmed in the face of this rather extravagant level of servicing.

right after he saw Gamzee go behind the cushy piece of furniture and felt his hoodie being placed gingerly over his shoulders.

Gamzee leaned over the back to face Tavros "so you don't get chilly bro" he smiled widely.

were human beings even supposed to be able to smile that widely? Tavros had no words for this man, none.

"mass murder makes me happy! dead bodies make me happy! say what you will of me, I'll always have juggalo family!" tavros nearly screamed, clutching the borrowed article of clothing draped around his shoulders in near desperation, as the sudden faintly static noise perforated the otherwise so calm and soothing air between them, Gamzee glanced unfazed down, then pulled a cellphone out of his pocket and put it up to his ear, the devil's music stopped.

there was the faint sound of someone screaming incoherently before the call abruptly ended as the caller hung up without waiting for a reply.

"welp, gotta go rock some worlds man, enjoy the show wontcha" Gamzee smiled at Tavros again before he trotted off past the curtain.

Tavros could see his retreating back clearly as he proceeded onto the stage, spreading out his arms, jumping up and down, whooping with the crowd.


	6. Moves Like Jagger

he was good, he was very good, even in that first minute where he was all by his lonesome on the stage encouraging the crowd's already completely out of control behaviour, riling them up, dancing around ecstatically, waving his arms wildly, occasionally running along the edge of the stage to give out a million high fives at once, on that stage he was truly a sight to be seen.

and for that minute Tavros was admittedly quite envious of the beautiful, somehow charismatic creature Gamzee had become when he had entered the limelight, Gamzee didn't just look confident and sure of himself, most of all he looked comfortable, and honestly that was what Tavros envied the most, it's one thing to put on a brave face and act like you belong on stage, but to actually be completely comfortable out there, now that was something else entirely.

and when Karkat and Equius finally joined him, appearing up out of the floor on steadily rising platforms, the show truly started and Tavros' was suddenly no longer capable of envy, all that was left was an overpowering sense of awe.

they were many things, a downright PR nightmare was undoubtfully one of them, but they were also a fucking glorious band, and with the way they put on a show it was suddenly no longer surprising that they were heralded as one of the worlds greatest bands ever.

it was easy to forget Gamzee's shady connections to the underground juggalo community, it was easy to forget how awkward and unreletable a person Equius truly was, and it was even easier to forget Karkat's infamously vile temperament and general demeanor, that man had smashed a thousand papparazzi cameras, fangirl dreams, if you can name it he has no doubt smashed it at some point, and in that moment none of it even mattered anymore.

it was far too easy to just lose yourself completely in the music, in angry vocals, screaming guitars and hammering drums, they were just entrancing.

Tavros now felt smaller than ever, these guys were the true professionals, the true rockstars, and though each of their controversial natures had provoked quite a few hissy fits from parents and mainstream media alike , they remained firmly seated in the minds of millions as fantastic, talented musicians worthy of much senseless admiration, there was not the slightest shred of doubt in Tavros' mind, these guys were the best of their kind, and though he still considered himself and Tinkerbull to be good in their own right, this was a whole other league of music.

by the time the show ended it was already nighttime, they had been on for many hours, yet the show had never felt dull or drawn out, they were like lava lamps, people could just stare at them for hours without ever getting bored.

and even after such a long performance the crowd was still sorry to see them leave for the last time, they had already put on two encores and it was now all too clear there would not be entertaining them any longer.

no one had even bothered to lift as much as a single eyebrow at where Tavros was sitting, right in front of his very own personal gap in the back curtain, and with the entire buffet for a side table to boot, they had probably seen Gamzee encouraging him to sit there and decided it was better to just leave him alone.

but it was now all too clear that that peace wasn't going to last much longer, the band was retreating, which meant that they were coming back here.

Tavros tried desperately to look relaxed and confident in his little spot, though on the inside he felt like a rabid fan who had snuck in to play peeping tom.

he even tried getting a beer, which he didn't even like, and sitting back with his legs spread widely and the bottle held in one hand, resting it on his knee like he had seen the cool men in movies do.

needless to say it didn't quite work as he had intended, his leg wouldn't stop bouncing and jiggling up and down nervously, and he eventually ended up with the beer spilling over at a particularly violent jolt of his knee, now his left pantleg was soaked in alcohol, awesome, it was his nicest pair of pants too, luckily they were jet black and Tavros hoped to God, Buddha and Spongebob collectively, that no one would notice his little accident.

thankfully it took them quite a while to finally get off the stage despite the pleading cries of their adoring fans, Gamzee blew them air kisses he noticed, like an overbearing mother might blow kisses at her precious babies, Karkat flipped them the bird and kissed that, in an obvious parody of Gamzee's affectionate goodbyes, Equius shuffled nervously, occasionally giving a strained sweaty smile.

it felt nice for Tavros to know that he wasn't the only one who thought that that final farewell was always awkward and uncomfortable in one way or another.

when Gamzee was finished slowly backing away from his fans, and turned around to face the backstage area, he immediately looked in Tavros' direction, and upon spotting him, his face instantly lit up like an overclocked christmas tree on ecstacy, he ran, straight up ran, towards the young man who awkwardly waved, trying to look casual.

when he reached his Tavbro he put his hands in Tavros' spread knees and leaned down close to him "so how was it brother? did'ya like it?"

"yeah!" Tavros accidentally let a single nervous little laugh slip past his self control "it was sick man, just ill. in a good way i mean!" he hurriedly added.

Gamzee's excited face immediately relaxed "bitchtits my brother! give it here" he said reaching out a single closed fist towards Tavros, they fistbumped and Gamzee plopped down next to him on the couch,Tavros put his still mostly full beer bottle back on the buffet table as Gamzee let out a long sigh and settled in close to his friend, Tavros' couldn't help but notice that not only their shoulders but also their hips were touching now.

"hey fucktard! we're going back to the bus! you're on your own now! try not to get yourself killed!" a voice Tavros now recognised as belonging to Karkat yelled at them from across the room "sure thing bro! I'm just gonna hang out here for awhile with my Tavbro!" Gamzee replied, Karkat didn't seem like he cared much, he just raised a single hand in an almost universal gesture of "whatever, see if i care"


	7. Sometimes I Wish They Sold Faygo in Europe

As Karkat and Equius departed so did the few technicians and what not who were finishing up follow suit, the show was over for tonight, they would begin taking the stage and all its attached equipment down tomorrow, after all they couldn’t exactly dismount everything correctly in the darkness of night now could they.

they left a row of the spotlights in the back on though, seeing as neither Gamzee nor his Tavbro looked like they were planning on leaving just yet, it didn’t matter much to them, the backstage area was pretty much designated to the performers anyway, they would begrudgingly be left to hang out in peace, not like Gamzee couldn’t just stick a whole possé of lawyers on them if they didn’t comply.

little did they know Gamzee would have gladly moved on had they only asked him nicely, or not so nicely, didn’t really matter, Gamzee probably wouldn’t have protested either way, he was cool like that, and besides sending him away would only have given him the chance to invite Tavros to go with him to somewhere even more secluded.

though as their present situation was pretty private already, it wasn’t really necessary to go anywhere, after all, this was where all the food and drinks were.

“ey Tavbro be a good motherfucker and hand me that bottle of faygo right there would’ya?” Gamzee turned to Tavros and asked as the last of the stagehands dwindled out the backdoor “sure, do you want the grape one or the redpop one?” he answered.

“both, both is good” as Tavros handed him the two bottles he asked Gamzee “why do you want both now? wouldn’t it be easier to drink one now and the other later?”

“you’ll see Tavbro, imma show you a proper miracle brother” Gamzee drawled cryptically as he unscrewed the cap of the redpop bottle, putting the grape one on the floor by his foot, he then put the vibrant bottle to his lips and as he slammed his head back and drank quickly, winking at Tavros all the while, he occasionally stopped to look at the bottle closely, every time he apparently deemed it insufficient and drank a little more of it’s bright technicolor contents.

Tavros wondered what on earth he was surveying the bottle so closely for, what could he possibly be trying to accomplish with all this faygo slamming nonsense?

 

Gamzee pulled the bottle back from his face and looked at it closely one last time before apparently deeming it worthy to take part in his inane half coherent plans.  
“now watch this” he said looking over at Tavros’ puzzled face properly for the first time since he had set his pseudo diabolical scheme into motion.

as he held the now half full bottle redpop faygo in one hand he bent down slightly to pick up the grape flavored bottle, he unscrewed the cap skillfully with one hand, and started to gracefully and oh so carefully pour the grape faygo into the redpop bottle, when the bottle was finally full again he screwed the cap on both the half empty grape bottle and the now full redpop one.

winking a final flirtatious time at Tavros, why did he keep doing that Tavros wondered to himself, he put the grape bottle down and shook the newly filled redpop one gently, as if trying to bully it into surrendering all it’s lunch money to him without hurting it so much that the teachers would believe it’s claims that he, the illustrious and charismatic class president, had been extorting it for years.

as the colors of the bubbly sugar waters mixed Tavros finally caught on, he was mixing them both into one devilish concoction of pure sugary evil the likes of which Tavros was sure no evil scientist/chemist had ever thought of before.

 

when Gamzee stopped his gentle encouragements of the bottle’s multi ethnic now quite bizarrely colored contents, he gave it one last inspection before handing the bottle to Tavros with a bright dopey smile “try it bro, i swear man it’s the most bitchin of miracles going round and round in there” he said.

Tavros took the bottle with some hesitant trepidation, he had never had faygo before, and certainly not mixed and churned up like that, it didn’t look to be particularly appetizing, but Gamzee kept smiling at him with a mixed expression of pride and expectation on his face, for such a relaxed person he sure did spend a whole lot of his time being excited about perfectly normal things.

after a moment or two had passed Tavros arrived at the hesitant conclusion that the only way for him to appease Gamzee without hurting his feelings was to just give the offered beverage a chance at deliciousness.

it didn’t taste bad, in fact it was pretty good Tavros concluded as he drank, it wasn’t quite like the other soft drinks he had previously tasted, then again he wasn’t exactly one to do unorthodox things like mix up two different ones, but it certainly wasn’t bad either.

“it’s pretty good” he told Gamzee as he handed the bottle back to him, smiling gently at his friend all the while, Gamzee took the offered bottle and smiled right back at him “it’nt it though, i mean, seriously bro, what could possibly go better with faygo than more faygo, that shit is like motherfucking cake in layers, it’s just awesome on top of even more awesome, ya’know man”

Tavros nodded, though he didn’t quite “know”, he did understand what Gamzee was trying to tell him, good things always went well with other good things.

“man it’s like you and me you dig? one chill ass brother just gets even chiller when he’s all up and getting his relax on with another chill motherfucking brother” Gamzee looked over at his Tavbro and smiled widely putting his hand around his friends shoulders casually, hugging him tightly to himself “some things just fit together like motherfucking puzzle pieces so well it’s hard to understand how they all up and do that wicked ass shit”

Tavros smiled back at Gamzee despite the fluttering feeling of nervousness, and something else he could not quite identify, deep in his belly, he wasn’t used to being this close to other people, but he trusted Gamzee so he put his own arm around Gamzee’s gangly shoulders anyway, “yeah” he said quietly, still smiling, and reciprocated the odd sideways hug.


	8. A Day Spent on Bad Things is a Good Day

Gamzee was a lot of fun to hang around, he was like an infinitely energy generating dynamo, he just kept going and going and going, spinning in little conversational circles of his very own, bringing Tavros along in a linguistic adventure of how he got to school as a child when his dad wasn't around.

but he was a lot of fun none the less, he was like Enya, an Enya dynamo, both soothing and calm and energetic and compelling simultaneously, it was really quite fascinating how he managed that.

it was like that time in the van, it all felt so long ago now, where he had just stumbled in and sat next to him for hours on end talking, thankfully, unlike Tavros' crotchety old Vietnam war veteran of a grandfather, his stories weren't the same as the last time they had spoken, this time he talked about his juggalo family, and how much fun they had making up terrible rap songs in half collapsed tents at the great gathering of the juggalos, or 'dark carnival' as he referred to it as.

this time Tavros even managed to get a word in once in a while, and he in turn told Gamzee about his father, a single man who had had a bastard child with a woman he didn't know by accident in a drunken stupor, to this day the long gone woman was still being jokingly referred to as 'Miss Tequila Slammer' by him and his father.

he told him how his mother had just left him and then never came back, how his father had said "well good riddance then, personally i think we're better off without a woman who would just abandon her infant child with a man she didn't know and who was clearly only a teenager, several years younger than herself, without even telling you a proper goodbye", when he had asked him why he didn't try to marry her.

 

during all of this Gamzee never ceased hugging him tightly to his side, at one point, when the conversation had progressed into Tavros' hairstyle for some reason, Gamzee had even stroked and primped his carefully maintained mohawk a little.

it felt like they had been friends forever, like something had just clicked and they were now the best friends two men could be, like he could have told Gamzee anything.

even how much of a weak and suppressed little under dog he had felt like all through out his school years, without ever having to fear rejection, or the mocking laughter that still sometimes echoed in his head when he felt worthless and alone, none of it mattered with Gamzee, it felt like he could bare any part of himself, and Gamzee would simply accept him for it, even if he himself thought it pitiful and demeaning to him that he had ever allowed himself to be treated in such a way.

it was a nice way to get past all those unpleasant things, because at their very core none of the stories the two told each other were truly funny, they were heart wrenching, and the events themselves no doubt seemed hellish at the time.

it wasn't funny that a lone teenage male was simply left standing there with a baby boy he didn't have the slightest clue how to care for, it wasn't funny that Gamzee's father was never home, always far too busy to see his own son in person, he sent him expensive objects instead of taking him to school, it wasn't funny, not in the slightest, children should never be bullied or abandoned, because children feel pain, more so than most adults care to remember.

and instead of pushing all these painful things deep down, repressing it quietly so it could be allowed to slowly fester and eventually emerge in the form of a serious mental health issue, they just let it out with a little laugh, a shared drink of mixed and churned up Faygo and a slightly tighter hold on each other, for once in Tavros' life things felt calm and peaceful, even the painful things he didn't like to think about seemed more like soothed wounds now than throbbing scars of ages past.

Tavros wasn't entirely sure for how long they just sat there laughing at the aches and pains of the past together, but when small rays of sun light started to cautiously find their way through the thick curtains they sat facing, it was decided that they both ought to lie down and rest now.

so they parted after a long string of goodbye hugging and last little shoulder rubs, Tavros went back to Sollux and Aradia in their van, and Gamzee went to join Equius and Karkat in what Tavros had no doubt was probably a bus with all the room and passenger carrying abilities of a modern boeing 747, complete with amenities and comfortable furniture, much in contrast to his own little haphazard home in the back of an old company van, Tavros had his friends, he honestly didn't really mind.

when he arrived at the van he was faced with what seemed like a minor crisis, how would he get in without waking his quietly slumbering band mates?

the van's doors were all rusty and dilapidated, so they were all a definite no go if he wanted to be quiet in his approach, then again, he couldn't exactly just smash the windows on and climb over the front seats.

it would have to be the doors then, he decided, he did his best, he really did, to try to be as silent as possible, he was concentrating as hard as he could on channeling his inner ninja/burglar but alas, all his ninja burglaring efforts were for naught, Sollux was a light sleeper after all.

"where the hell have you been?" he asked in a voice clearly drenched in sleep and still half entrenched in dreamland, "I was talking to Gamzee and I lost track of the time, sorry" Tavros answered him sheepishly, he undressed and got into his night shirt quickly, and as he laid down with his beloved yet very well worn peter pan printed duvet and he heard Sollux quickly joining Aradia in her slight snoring, he could not help but smile when he thought about what a great day today had been


	9. Goodbyes Suck Okay

for the first time in a long time, Tavros slept entirely without worrying about anything at all, not the future, nor even the present bothered him in slightest.

for once he did not stop and consider the world and his position in it while he lay snug in his bed, he just slept.

this was actually quite unusual for the young man, normally he would always have at least one troubling thought in his mind, if not one that concerned him then one that might concern his family or his friends, Tavros was a caretaker at heart, he worried about people naturally, at this point it was becoming part of his nature.

but Tavros didn't worry now, he didn't even think very much before falling asleep.

he did not consider that the tour was now at an end, that his chances of ever seeing Gamzee again were minimal at best, he didn't even have his phone number for Pete's sake, how was he to ever contact him again.

how could he know that Gamzee even wanted to see him again, after all Gamzee was a gentle and blithe young man, he was kind to every single person that crossed his path, what made Tavros even the slightest bit special in that regard, despite all their sharing, they had only known each other for a single day and night.

but Tavros didn't worry, thought there was much to worry about, he felt safe and content, even if he could feel the hard floor of the van through the mattress and he knew that he would most definitely wake with an aching pain in his back, even if he did not quite know where to go from here.

even after he woke well into the next day, he wasn't even bothered by the fact that he had not slept for nearly as long as he had needed to and yet he should probably have been up several hours ago.

well into the afternoon Tavros was completely relaxed and comfortable, it wasn't until they were all done packing up and it was time to go home, that Tavros realized that he had not seen Gamzee since last night, and his chest ached at the thought, it finally dawned on him just how far apart him and Gamzee were though they were almost the same age and worked in the same business and the same country, Gamzee was many miles and leagues above him despite it all.

the realization hurt, it hurt a lot, he probably wouldn't ever get the chance to speak to Gamzee again, he wouldn't be able to reach that level, they were good, but to reach the same level as the one The Seagoat alone occupied, that was something else, to accomplish such a feat they would have to be truly extraordinary, they weren't, of that Tavros was all too certain, and it hurt.

it hurt so much in the end that he spent most of the day in a depressed state at the back of the van, while Sollux drove and Aradia occasionally sent him a confused and pitying look, he just sat at the very back on his mattress in the corner, strumming his guitar halfheartedly, he didn't tell the others what was wrong, they didn't ask, he figured that they probably assumed that he was just sad that it was over and they had to go home now, that he had been hoping for a few more shows.

they had all been hoping that it would have lasted a little longer, but all things come to an end, and they just had to accept it like big boys and girls, after all, what could they do about it?

when they stopped to camp for the night, they ate mostly in silence, it was hard going from the catered meals the festival had treated them to, to cheap, bland, dehydrated noodles in even cheaper plastic cups. and though they did eventually have a quick laugh or two over how well it had all gone despite their nerves, the conversation always trickled out and disappeared, replaced with a quiet feeling of sad nostalgia, it was over, and it would be a long time before they would get that kind of opportunity again.

the manager called them at eight o'clock the next morning, way too early for any of them to be fully conscious, and in a voice overflowing with glee and excitement, had announced to them that he had just spoken on the phone with the manager for The Seagoat, they had just been offered a rather illustrious position as their warm up band.

apparently, the concert at the festival had been the first on The Seagoat's tour, and they had just been offered the opportunity to travel with them for the entire rest of their world tour.

they were speechless, one and all.

they had only just resigned themselves to going home and relaxing for a few weeks after such a big trip, and now they were being offered a position on an even bigger trip!?

the manager was clearly over come with joy and eagerly went on and on about what a splendid thing this was and how much it could pay off in the end for them.

he didn't seem to realize that there was only silence on the other end as the three looked around at each other, they were all tired, and this wasn't just a chance to prove themselves at the really big shows, but it could also turn out to be a chance for them to fuck it up, and ruin their entire career forever more.

"so, what do you all say!" the manager asked in an excited tone that left no real room for refusal, Sollux was the first to answer, and in an uncharacteristically insecure and doubtful tone he said "uhh... sure, i guess"

he added the last part as he looked over questioningly at his two friends who were just as stunned as he was, they both nodded shakily, at his silent inquiry, "great! so it's decided! you'll meet up with them the day before their next show and you can discuss the details there, bye bye!" the manager answered joyfully.

"so i uhhm, guess we better turn the van around then huh?" Tavros finally spoke up as their manager hung up the phone, the others nodded vaguely in agreement. 

"yeah" Sollux muttered as he climbed into the front seat to start up the old vehicle, they had a lot of driving ahead of them now.


	10. WOO! SKITTLES!

it wasn't actually an exceptionally long drive to the concert hall where The Seagoat would be performing, it probably only felt so excruciatingly arduous that first day because they where all still pretty stunned.

doing a festival with a big performer coincidentally also attending was one thing, straight up doing an entire tour alongside said big performer, that shit was just crazy.

they had only just finished their very first tour, jegus christ rollerskating in a tutu, they had yet to release their second album, Tavros could not help but feel completely green again.

they had only just started performing as professional musicians, how were they supposed to warm up a crowd for someone as big as The Seagoat, the only way Tavros could think of was for them to egregiously underwhelm the crowd and make the main attraction look better in comparison.

their own tour had been a ridiculously ambitious endeavor as it was, in Tavros' humble opinion anyway, but to join The Seagoat on tour? that was just ridiculous, Tavros honestly had half a mind to just try to negotiate his way out of it when they met up with them, if he was lucky maybe get a raincheck on it, if he was certain of anything at all, it was that they were definitely not ready for this. 

sure, they had handled their own tour alright, but he didn't feel like he could just let The Seagoat's tour crash and burn for the simple sake of a garnering a little more publicity for himself.

it wouldn't be fair to them, they were only trying to be kind and lend a hand to a much smaller band and help them get a good start on their careers, he couldn't possibly be as rude and crass as to ruin their tour for his own gain.

no, he would just have to tell them "no thank you" it was best for everyone, maybe some other time they could perform together, in a few years, when they were more experienced, and had been on a stage with special effects more than just once.

Tavros eventually voiced his concerns to his friends, and although they did share a lot of them, they also bid that he not make a final decision before they met up with the others and a decision was reached on exactly how much and what kind of performing they would be doing, wait until the deal was at least finalized to make a decision on whether or not to outright refuse.

Tavros had always been the kind of guy who listened closely to his friends, and he agreed, maybe he should give it a chance, see if it could work in some form before he hopped off the wagon entirely, Tavros eventually reached the conclusion that his friends were smart people, who knew what they were talking about, and on their advice he emptied his mind of all that and just enjoyed a few short days of peace while they were still on the road.

it took them a grand total of three days to catch up with The Seagoat, they were camping out by their gig, taking a few days of blessed respite of their own before returning to their duties.

when Tinkerbull finally reached them and the tired old van pulled up beside their gigantic tour bus, Gamzee was naturally the first to stick his head out of a window of the bus and wave manically at the three of them, when he deemed this insufficient and he could see them getting out to greet his buddies he was also the first to jump out of their bus and jog up to the new arrivals.

"my bro's!" he shouted jovially as he sped towards them, immediately starting up a group hug, this was a thing to be celebrated after all "how ya all doin, is so good to finally see you again!" he spoke as if they had been seperated for decades, this really only confirmed Tavros' suspicions that this man had no sense of time or place, at all.

none the less he hugged Gamzee back, even after Sollux pulled away grumpily and Aradia went off to greet Equius who was steadily approaching them.

Gamzee liked to hug people, Tavros had noticed, he liked it a lot, in fact Gamzee just seemed like the kind of person who preferred to be in physical contact with his friends at all times, and though Tavros was still a bit startled by the other man's sudden onslaughts of casual affection, it was also nice to be reassured that he was wanted here, it was very nice.

and even when Gamzee shook his shoulder while he laughed, and booped his nose playfully, he didn't feel the least bit uncomfortable, he had long since figured out that this was just how Gamzee was, an affectionate goof who just really wanted to be his friend.

and while Aradia casually chatted with Equius beside the bus, Gamzee excitedly invited him in for faygo and skittles.

well, Tavros thought, anything is better than more noodles in plastic cups and bowls.

so he followed Gamzee up the steps and into the huge vehicle, dear god, it was even bigger on the inside, they didn't just have a proper kicthen area, Tavros noticed, they had real honest to jeebus furniture.

and while Tavros sat down on a blessedly soft couch, Gamzee eagerly raced around to fetch the two of them an adequate supply of snacks and soft drinks, when he finally returned it was with his arms full of at least three different kinds of both faygo and skittles "just wanted to make sure there was somethin you would like Tavbro" he stated casually as he dumped it all on the little coffee table in front of them.

at this point Tavros had forgotten all about the shows and the tour, and as he and Gamzee cracked open their respective faygo bottles and toasted each other, he didn't even feel hesitant or doubtful about being there anymore, Tavros was calm and relaxed, he wasn't a musician anymore, not even an amateur one, he was just Tavros, having a drink with the man who was rapidly on his way to becoming his very best friend.


	11. Well We Call This The Act Of Mating, Or Something

It turned out that Gamzee had more in common with Tavros than either had expected, they were both terrible songwriters.

The word terrible wasn't even an exaggeration, it was actually quite literal, they were just plain awful, since when was "in, uh my cracka" a good follow up to "waka-laka"?

The answer was really very simple, it wasn't.

But there were other things of course, besides the entire horrendous lyricists thing. Neither one of them had ever been very "metal", they were both goofs, the two of them were more like overgrown teenagers than hardcore rock musicians, they weren't tough, they were just goofy, awkward, sugar loving adults, terminally trapped somewhere between childhood and adulthood, very cleverly disguised as rough-and-tumble type people.

And neither of them was very good at being cool or even just a little stoic, not at all, and as it turned out, they both loved cartoons, rollercoasters, and all things bright and colorful.

Gamzee was becoming more relatable by the minute, it didn't even make Tavros uncomfortable anymore when Gamzee leaned in a little too close to his face as if sharing a national secret of the utmost importance, or when he leaned up against him as he laughed, or took his hand and used it to demonstrate the correct way to hold a drumstick so it made the best possible noise on impact with the taut skin of a drum.

It was fun sitting there on that exceedingly comfortable couch just talking, so much fun in fact that neither of them noticed something as simple as the dull passing of time, at least not until the short dark haired man Tavros knew to be Karkat stuck his head in through the door and proceeded to snarl at them both in an angry and impatient tone of voice, as if chastising two bratty kids he had found wandering around on his private patch of lawn at the retirement home.

"What. The. Ever loving hell. Are you two price winning morons doing!" he demanded furiously, Gamzee calmly raised his hand, a blithe smile still decorated his monochromatic face, and opened his mouth as he went to speak, not that Karkat gave him the chance to even start "NO! no no! don't even say anything! I don't even want to know about you and your little sausage festival!" Gamzee patiently opened his mouth again and this time almost succeeded in breaking off Karkat's little monolog, almost.

"ABSOLUTELY NOT! I DO NOT WANT TO KNOW!" Gamzee seemed to be slowly comprehending the subtle vibe that Karkat didn't want to hear about the fun they were having, and he let Karkat speak without even trying to intervene. 

"Anyway, listen here, the rest of us are going to go meet up with the owner of this pitiful dump, so just stay here and try not to set anything on fire while the grownups are out" and with that said he slammed the door to the bus shut and left in a hurry.

"Okay, that was, surprising" Tavros spoke up before he could even catch himself, thankfully Gamzee didn't seem nearly as rattled as him, apparently this wasn't a big deal at all to him "yeah, Karbro can be a bit energetic sometimes, he means well"

Tavros nodded mutely, and though he still felt uneasy about Karkat's ire, Gamzee was quick to divert his train thoughts onto other tracks.

Thankfully the situation quickly recovered and did not falter until the subject of the gig and the tour was brought up casually by Gamzee, Tavros suddenly remembered everything, how he was supposed to talk to one of the band members about his concerns regarding his own abilities in comparison to theirs. How he had intended to discuss calling off the event.

So Tavros hastily turned to Gamzee and rushed to tell him everything, tell him how they were only just starting out and he would prefer that they had a little more experience before joining The Seagoat on a big tour, tell him how Tavros felt about his skills, or rather, self proclaimed lack there of.

Gamzee didn't seem deterred in the slightest from his enthusiasm about Tinkerbull, he thought that they were great, and that Tavros ought to give himself a break and stand back to just look, without comparing himself to others, or setting any expectations.

"Listen man, let me just lay down a little wisdom here, what people want when they go to your shows is you, and what they're getting is you, everybody wins, and the only thing that can change that arrangement is if you back out bro, you can't just leave 'em hanging, they adored you, I saw it with my very own eyeballs Tav"

Gamzee made a good point, Tavros knew this, and he was inclined to believe Gamzee, after all, why wouldn't he? Gamzee had always been honest with him.

"they loved you man" Gamzee spread out his arms in a wide gesture and slung one over Tavros' shoulder, shaking him gently to make him raise his head so Gamzee could make eye contact, it worked "hell, I loved you man, you were motherfuckin' beautiful out there"

Tavros' chest suddenly felt like it had just grown three sizes, he almost didn't notice the smile that found it's way onto his lips, someone appreciated the work he did, and he was suddenly inclined to believe that there were probably plenty more out there, they just hadn't had the chance to tell him like Gamzee did.

he felt good, and confident, even as Gamzee leaned in and locked lips with him, he didn't feel intimidated, at least not at first.

only upon realizing that he was in fact currently making out with Gamzee motherfucking Makara, did the nervousness set in, in his initial confidence he had responded, and accidentally prompted Gamzee to lean even closer to him and slide his gangly arms down and around his waist, and before he knew it he was on his back, rubbing noses with the world famous drummer currently draped across the length of his body.

only when Gamzee leaned back slightly and broke of their kiss to press their foreheads together, did he break out of his shocked stupor, and while he had always considered Gamzee to be a very attractive fellow, he had certainly not expected any of this to ever happen.

" I, I, uhm, Gamzee what?" the words came rushing out of his mouth in a less than dignified manner, Gamzee simply hummed gently before answering in a whisper "just trying to help a brother all up and get his knowledge on all this love that people got for you, that i got for you, just relax Tav, ain't nobody gonna hurt ya"

Tavros looked at Gamzee's gentle smile and arrived at the conclusion that this turn of events, though unexpected, was not unwelcome.

So gathered up every little bit of confidence he could salvage, and quickly leaned up and kissed Gamzee full on the mouth.

Gamzee certainly didn't seem to mind, in fact he took to holding Tavros' face between his hands, and gradually broke away to kiss his cheek, then his jaw, before simply smiling and tucking his head down beside Tavros' and humming again, Tavros noted absently that he could feel Gamzee breathing warmly into his ear as he wrapped his own arms around Gamzee's back in an odd mix of hugging and cuddling.

Gamzee rubbed his nose into the side of Tavros' neck after a moment, laughing lightly under his breath when Tavros giggled slightly and squirmed at the feeling.

His shy little giggles quickly turned into outright laughter when Gamzee moved down his neck gently running his mouth and tongue over the side of his throat, before suddenly latching on and blowing the loudest raspberry Tavros had heard in a very long time.

As he joyfully laughed Gamzee laughed with him, and lifted his shirt to repeat the trick on his belly, Tavros tickled his sides playfully in retaliation, Gamzee tickled him back even harder, and before they knew it the two of them were laughing hysterically as they hiked up each others shirts, one trying to best the other in their little competition.

Eventually though the roaring laughter died down into little chuckles as they smiled gleefully at each other, Tavros did not protest when Gamzee kissed him again, not even with his shirt hiked up around his chest and Gamzee's hand rubbing his belly, still tickling his side just a little whenever the mood struck him.

Gamzee's hand rubbed up his back, and eventually he leaned back just a little to pull Tavros' shirt off completely, and as Gamzee tickled his ribs gently, giggling playfully into their kiss, Tavros did the same to him, he would not let Gamzee win that easily.

and with both of them shirtless the gradually moved away from tickling to just embracing tightly, pressing their chest and bellies together, and as Gamzee kissed and licked at his lower lip, Tavros rubbed his hands against Gamzee's smooth back.

Gamzee held onto Tavros even tighter, and leaned back, dragging his partner back with him, when he was finally upright again, he sat with Tavros in his lap on the couch.

Encouraged by Tavros' little back rub, he grew bolder and slid his hands into the back of Tavros' dark relaxed fit jeans, Tavros laughed when he pulled back and wriggled his eyebrows vigorously to the best of his ability.

and as Tavros kissed him again on the mouth, shyly moving down to kiss his neck, he glided his hands around Tavros' waist to the front of his pants, he felt Tavros still hesitantly when he opened the button and slid the zipper downwards, he stopped there though and took Tavros head in his hands to kiss him again, Tavros' hesitation quickly melted away.

He even mustered up the courage to do the same to Gamzee while he was busy lowering Tavros back onto his back, Tavros earned a little tickle to his right side when he slipped his hands down and rubbed his hands against the back of Gamzee's underwear.

Gamzee pulled his pants down absently, Tavros quickly lifting his backside to help him, and while Gamzee threw his trousers across the room, Tavros noted that they landed on the T.V as Gamzee busied himself with removing his own pair, Tavros noted once again that they too landed on the television set, right next to his own.

Gamzee pressed himself down against Tavros, and as Gamzee leaned down to suck at his nipple, Tavros could not help but notice that he had acquired an erection, or that Gamzee's own was rubbing up against it through their underwear.

Apparently Gamzee noticed too, and he sat back resting his bottom on Tavros' thighs as he pulled down the waistband of his own underwear as well as Tavros, pulling out both their erections he pressed them together and held them both in his right hand, Tavros laid his head back and clutched a hand to Gamzee's shoulder.

Gamzee sighed slightly and hummed again as he rubbed his hand up and down, he leaned down and kissed Tavros gently on the cheek when he let go, and Tavros didn't even register that he had moved before he felt Gamzee tounge run the length of his cock.

He held onto the back of the couch tightly with one hand, the other disappearing into Gamzee's hair when he felt Gamzee take him into his mouth and hollow out his cheeks, he moaned when Gamzee bobbed his head.

And as he felt his toes curling and his stomach muscles tightening, he tried to warn Gamzee by tugging gently on his hair, Gamzee wasn't deterred so he stepped up his game and spoke his name, again Gamzee did not react as he had thought he would, instead he patted Tavros' belly lightly with one hand and pulled back only slightly to suckle the head while his left hand rubbed at Tavros' base.

He did not protest even when Tavros' hand clutched his hair a bit too tightly while he came down Gamzee's throat, Gamzee just listened to Tavros gasping, stumbling out apologies, trying to explain why he hadn't lasted longer

Gamzee wouldn't hear it, he just sat up and leaned down to kiss Tavros again, calmly stating that it was no bother, Tavros insisted on making it up to him somehow, and as he bit down his embarrassment he pulled down Gamzee's underwear entirely, and wrapped his hand around Gamzee's eager erection.

Gamzee didn't complain, he just laid his head on Tavros shoulder and sighed into his ear, and as Tavros rubbed his thumb against the head he murmured "bit faster, bit faster" Tavros complied and heard Gamzee's breath hitch when he sped up, he rubbed Gamzee to the best of his ability, and eventually leaned down to repay Gamzee's favor by suckling on him.

Tavros did not have any real experience, so he settled for running his tongue across the head while his hand rubbed at an increasing speed, Gamzee certainly didn't mind, he did however lean back to support himself on his elbows as he breathed heavily.

He put one hand in Tavros' mohawk sliding it under his jaw and pushing him up slightly when he started becoming loud, Tavros didn't budge, a favor for a favor right?

Gamzee panted and groaned lowly through his mouth when Tavros squeezed him and rubbed a little faster, he almost stopped breathing when he came, almost, only inhaling sharply while his back arched and he groaned under his breath.

Tavros swallowed as quick as he could, trying not to taste it as he sat up and looked at Gamzee's naked form, he had collapsed onto his back, and as he laid there breathing heavily he stretched out his arms and held Tavros tightly to his chest.

Gamzee felt Tavros tickle his ribs lightly and laughed, completely out of breath, he played dead for a moment letting tavros rest his head on his chest calmly relaxing, before launching his own assault on his offender's sides.

They both giggled and chuckled as they tickled each other halfheartedly, before Gamzee stopped his assault and just laid back, hugging Tavros tightly as he rolled onto his side, Tavros hugged him back and as Gamzee kissed the bridge of his nose he closed his eyes intent on sleeping comfortably for once.


	12. The Gloriously Half Assed Epilogue of Deal With It

Things were going well now, the first few concerts had been disconcertingly huge and complicated in Tavros' opinion, but he gradually adjusted as more and more time passed, they all did.

They adjusted when the pyrotechnics went off behind them and Tavros nearly screamed into his microphone a little, he hadn't been expecting that, the flow was there and he was in the zone, he wasn't counting down the songs to that dramatic moment of showmanship when fire would blaze angrily at his sides and behind his back.

He could still clearly remember the feeling of intense heat that came over his face and shoulder when he went too close.

But it was all good fun, it felt good to let out all his emotions on the stage, complimented and supported in it not only by his two best friends, but also by complicated arrangements of raging fire and luminous streams of colorful light.

And with prospects of earning a bit more money than they had been expecting they collectively decided that even though their little old van had been a good idea a the time it just would not cut it anymore, it just had to go.

What appeared in its stead was a much bigger minibus, though still tiny compared to the unwieldy behemoth of a vehicle that the others drove around in, they thought it was just what they needed, spacey enough for all three of them, and still small enough that they could afford it in good conscience.

With enough room to comfortably live in, the other little points of discomfort that had otherwise plagued their tour gradually melted away, they could afford to buy tasty food now, the kind that didn't come in a styrofoam cup of some sort, hell they even managed to eat out a few times, though this was being slowly but steadily put to a, at least partial, stop by the press, who had taken quite an interest in them now.

They wanted to know everything about them, they wanted to know what it was like to have made that huge jump from small town debuting band, to playing alongside stars and legends of music, hell, they even wanted to know about Gamzee and Tavros' relationship, not that they were able to get many scandals out of Tavros on the subject.

Tavros had even seen the one music video they had made broadcasted on the television several times now, and not at two am either, it was odd seeing things develop so quickly as they were pushed further and further into the spotlight.

But they would adjust to whatever came their way, just as they always had, they had long since adjusted to life alongside The Seagoat by now.

Even when Gamzee got a bit too boisterous and decided that it was a great idea to run onto the stage quickly, and not too subtly either, even before they were finished, and energetically swing Tavros into a joyous and overwhelmingly silly little waltz during the final encore, singing hoarsely into the microphone in tandem with him, not one of them lifted an eyebrow, though Tavros did have to fight back his laughter to even sing in the first place, not that he would ever admit it.


End file.
